Friday, March 20, 2015

1. Transportation that works. Our mass transit strategy — how
shall I say this politely? — stinks. Hillsborough County's plan bombed a
few years ago in a voter referendum, then Pinellas County tried its own
version in 2014 with equally disastrous results. Now we seem to be
passing this ill-planned dud back to Hillsborough, setting that county
up to go 0 for 2.

Anybody who says this area can simply keep relying on more roads
clearly does not drive enough around here at peak traffic times. Even if
we do build more roads, the clear trend is toward more tolls. Either
way, toll roads or mass transit, transportation is going to become more
expensive.

But will it become more efficient? Could Tampa Bay actually deliver a
regional solution to a regional transportation problem? So far, it's
proved a sadly laughable process. Grade: D2. A viable next home for the Tampa Bay Rays. The small-town
pettiness that's infected the debate over the whereabouts of a future
baseball stadium should make you wonder if we still really want a Major
League Baseball franchise here. St. Petersburg's lasting tunnel vision
still limits the Rays from looking broadly across the region for a
potential site that might draw more than last-place attendance
numbers. Tampa and Hillsborough sound macho enough when insisting they
have the sports mojo and real estate the Rays seek. Then they cry pauper
when talk turns to a modern-day stadium with a price tag of three
quarters of a billion dollars or more by the time the Rays clear the
legal quagmire of their Tropicana Field contract. Grade: C

10. Regional cooperation. The idea of "regionalism" often
prompts a backlash from local communities who see threats to their self
control. Yet more than half the projects on this list could be improved
upon, if not solved, with greater regional cooperation of political
will, economic ambition and, yes, money. The key is to understand when
working at the regional level can really help (see Nos. 1, 2, 6, 7 and
9) and when it's not necessary. Tampa Bay claims it's becoming more
regionally conscious. I see modest progress on the best of days and
major backpedaling on the worst of days. But good grief — keep trying. Grade: C-